Just started this memoir and it's hard to put down! Okay, I lost the book, if you can believe that, but my life is kind of crazy. So, found it and finJust started this memoir and it's hard to put down! Okay, I lost the book, if you can believe that, but my life is kind of crazy. So, found it and finished it, and YAY: here's my review:

I don't typically like memoirs, but this particular memoir was so well written and so heartfelt and I learned SO much about autism, I give it 5 out of 5 stars. The way that Anne Clinard Barnhill uses the Land of Oz as a metaphor works smartly. The scenes are illuminating. I can see the two sisters, the parents and the towns. The places in the story evoke a sense of sadness. One of my favorite passages is "... Many of the children were students of coal miners with strange sounding names like Prtsok, Chevcko, and Charnopolsky. They seemed grimy to me, like the school itself. ... Tall smokestacks spewed thick, dark smoke into the cloudy sky in winter..." The descriptions are beautiful, but the memoir's brilliance comes from the sadness, the foresight that we now have that the author's sister "wasn't mildly retarded" or "emotionally disturbed." No, Becky couldn't be fixed. No, Becky's parents didn't do anything wrong. This wasn't their fault. Throughout the book, I could hear Becky communicating with her questions, rocking back and forth to feel safe in the world, and all around her, no one understood. This book is a valuable addition to the world's understanding of autism. Great read. ...more

This was the best book I've read in the last decade. It is one of my top five favorite books of all time. It was incredible. Beautiful! I felt like I’This was the best book I've read in the last decade. It is one of my top five favorite books of all time. It was incredible. Beautiful! I felt like I’d been given a gift, something precious and holy to hold in my hands. I will read this one again. They could offer a semester-long class on the nuances of this novel. I loved it. ...more

If you enjoy mythic tales of native islanders, those mixed-blood inhabitants of islands who lost their mixed roots, sand and hearts to American tourisIf you enjoy mythic tales of native islanders, those mixed-blood inhabitants of islands who lost their mixed roots, sand and hearts to American tourism, this is a must-read for you. The story was a page turner. Oftentimes, I had trouble putting it down. The imagery was beautiful and intoxicating and I looked forward to my time with the characters.

As Madison Smart Belle writes in The Boston Globe, “Yanique has borrowed a few pieces of furniture from the Southern Gothic attic. In place of Faulkner’s preoccupation with miscegenation (sheer nonsense in Yanique’s fictional world), there is incest, a recurring motif ... But is it always a bad thing? The love of half-siblings … begets Youme, whose clubfoot makes her a real-world avatar of the mythical Duene, and whose proud beauty becomes a totem for the islanders’ struggle to take back their own. Small islands can be incestuous places, and incest may stand for a certain way the mind has to fertilize — and fortify — itself. This novel builds its best effects rather slowly, but in the end Yanique succeeds in evoking the panorama of the Virgin Islands in a voice all her own.”

So, if you’re looking for a book of dark myths and legends, I highly recommend Land of Love and Drowning. It is a unique novel about colonialism, racism, and magic. It is a hypnotic, beautifully written debut novel.

Michele Young-Stone is the author of ABOVE US ONLY SKY (3-3-15, Simon and Schuster) and The Handbook for Lightning Strike Survivors (Crown, 2010). She is currently researching a fourth novel.

In 1990, I was taking a class called The Politics of Southern Africa, and while enrolled in the course, as I was learning about apartheid and its effeIn 1990, I was taking a class called The Politics of Southern Africa, and while enrolled in the course, as I was learning about apartheid and its effects on the whole of southern Africa, Nelson Mandela was released from prison and the state of Apartheid was dismantled. It was an incredible time to study the southern region of this continent. I did a semester long project on Zimbabwe, formerly northern and southern Rhodesia, and back then President Robert Mugabe was supposed to be a liberator. Here we are, over two decades later, and he is a dictator. He is stripping the country of its diamond and gem wealth, but rather than allowing the former colonists--who came to know Zimbabwe--as their home, he's invited the Chinese communists mine and rape the nation's wealth. This novel was sad and alarming. It was the truth. It was hard to put down. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys character driven novels, novels based on historical events, anyone with an interest in African politics, or anyone who enjoys a good read. This was a page turner. ...more

I don't usually like memoir: not because there isn't extraordinary memoir out there, but because it terrifies me. The idea of being so open and puttinI don't usually like memoir: not because there isn't extraordinary memoir out there, but because it terrifies me. The idea of being so open and putting ugly truths on the page. I'm always perplexed by dialogue in memoir because no one remembers the "truth," only his or her interpretation of what happened and what was said.

After reading this well-written, beautiful and as Jeanette Walls stated, "harrowing" novel, I can only imagine and cringe at the criticism that Deborah Feldman has faced because events in the memoir weren't exactly and precisely as they happened in real life. How could they be? It's a memory and an interpretation, and as with anyone's life--a story. A very good story.

I am currently writing in the first person, and just that act alone (I prefer third person) is not in my comfort zone. I always want a reader to be interested in what I write because of the characters I've created and not because of the character that I am. But truthfully, these things are related. It's inescapable. I think Deborah Feldman is a great writer and a brave human being. ...more

Shine Shine Shine is one of the most creative, original love stories I’ve ever experienced. Actually, it is the most creative, intelligent, character-Shine Shine Shine is one of the most creative, original love stories I’ve ever experienced. Actually, it is the most creative, intelligent, character-driven, intoxicating love story I’ve ever read. The whole concept and story telling was wholly unexpected and weirdly wrought, like nothing I’ve experienced. I loved it. I highly recommend it. ...more

The Washington Post is spot-on when they say, “Little Bee will blow you away.” This is one of the most powerful, beautifully haunting books I’ve everThe Washington Post is spot-on when they say, “Little Bee will blow you away.” This is one of the most powerful, beautifully haunting books I’ve ever read. Sarah, Charlie and Little Bee will be with me for years—possibly the rest of my life. The imagery itself provides insight into the human heart. I can see Batman/Charlie as clearly as my own son in his nursery school, trying to make sense of a nonsensical world where everyone needs to be a goodie or a baddie. How else can the world be?

Chris Cleave makes strong and accurate political statements without being didactic. His characters aren’t tools for spreading a message. They are as real as you or me. As is their pain and joy.

I thought it was interesting and appropriate that as Little Bee plots “what she’ll do when the men come,” Chris Cleave’s male characters are flawed, sad, hopeless and downright cruel. As a writer, I wonder if I could get away with writing a book without a significant empathetic male character. I empathized somewhat with Andrew, with his guilt, but ultimately he was guilty. I’m not arguing that Sarah and Little Bee weren’t flawed, but this was their story, so it’s right that this should be from a female perspective, and Sarah and Little Bee weren’t surrounded by “good men.” Thank God for Charlie, a boy, Little Bee’s hope and Sarah’s hope. I love this book! It’s terrific. Eye-opening, insightful, breathtaking, heart-wrenching, raw, emotional and hypnotic! Bravo to Chris Cleave and his Little Bee. ...more

I loved Mr. Peanut. This was a thought-provoking complicated suspenseful tale of marriages gone very bad. More than the plot, what most impressed me aI loved Mr. Peanut. This was a thought-provoking complicated suspenseful tale of marriages gone very bad. More than the plot, what most impressed me about Adam Ross's book was his seemingly effortless ability to write dead-on (no pun intended) scenes and dialogue. He has executed tight economical prose without sacrificing real scene building. There are two particular scenes, one on an airplane and one on a Hawaiian cliff, very Hitchcockian, that nearly did me in! I am going to be thinking about this novel for a very long time. Kudos, Mr. Ross. ...more

This is a great novel, full of heart. I read it a while ago, but what I most remember is the notion/line from the book that nothing can be worse for aThis is a great novel, full of heart. I read it a while ago, but what I most remember is the notion/line from the book that nothing can be worse for a child than when two parents love each other more than they do their child. This is a magical book, full of so much realism, that McCracken expertly immerses us into this Gigantic world. Exceptional read especially for fans of magical realism. Bravo. ...more

One of the most powerful novels I've ever read. This book is about female independence, about female subjugation, about small-town and small-minded meOne of the most powerful novels I've ever read. This book is about female independence, about female subjugation, about small-town and small-minded mentalities and the forces inside and out. It's an important "American" novel, an important "Feminist" work, and a great novel, period. As I said, one of the best books I've ever read. This should be a part of the American canon. ...more

I LOVED this book. Every so often, an image from the novel, comes back to me. Not only is there mystery and suspense, but there's a real sense of histI LOVED this book. Every so often, an image from the novel, comes back to me. Not only is there mystery and suspense, but there's a real sense of history. It reads genuine and true. I'm a fan of historical fiction, and this novel certainly wasn't a disappointment. I am now reading Ann Barrows' chapter books Ivy and Bean to my son. ...more

I love this book! I've stopped at page 201 to savor the last pages. The imagery is astounding and the interplay of stories comes across as effortless.I love this book! I've stopped at page 201 to savor the last pages. The imagery is astounding and the interplay of stories comes across as effortless. This is one of the best books I've read in years. The characters' stories are tragic, but even when there seems to be NO hope, there's an inkling. It comes through in the details. I love both Rachel and Brick. How their stories unfold is riveting. I am thrilled that I get to read with Heidi Durrow in May.

The ending was not a disappointment nor was meeting Heidi Durrow. She couldn't have been more gracious and delightful. This is a wonderful debut! Kudos to Heidi....more

This is one of the best books I've ever read. The seeming effortlessness of the prose reflect this book's genuine complexity. Great characterization.This is one of the best books I've ever read. The seeming effortlessness of the prose reflect this book's genuine complexity. Great characterization. Bulging heart. I love it. ...more

As a long-time writer and insomniac with a son who has a tendency toward sleeplessness, I LOVED this book. It's smart. I love how they move for the moAs a long-time writer and insomniac with a son who has a tendency toward sleeplessness, I LOVED this book. It's smart. I love how they move for the mom. The illustrations are so "Tim Burton" to me, but different and special. I bought this book and donated it to our school's library. Now, I have to buy my own copy. LOVED, LOVEd, LOVED it. Great children's picture book!! www.micheleyoungstone.com...more